Trial
by Sycocat
Summary: It was the toughest trial they had ever faced. The fate of their relationship, and possibly the rest of their lives was on the line. RxS
1. Prologue

Hey there folks, **Sycocat** here and this is the first chapter in what I hope will be a great fic. (You may know me from my fic, "One without love, no more" that only has a few chapters left. Hey...you should check it out wink, wink. Although this has no affiliation with it.)

I came up with the main idea for this fic with and my sister (**KimikaNarazu**) and I started throwing around a few thoughts on it. In the end, we thought that it would be cool if we wrote it together.

So, this fic will be a joint effort and we hope you all enjoy it. Here we go...

**Disclaimer:** We don't own Loveless

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**Trial**

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**Prologue**

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Soubi took a deep breath and looked across the room at Ritsuka. Their eyes locked and hope shone in them, hope that the odds were in their favor.

Silence descended upon the packed courtroom when the judge banged his gavel and everyone looked up at him. He was a rather large man and, despite his gruff looks, he seemed rather compassionate.

Clearing his throat, he turned to the jury. "Have you reached a verdict?" He asked.

A female representative stood. "Yes we have, your honor. We find the defendant, Agatsuma Soubi..."

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Don't worry, all of the chapters won't be this short.


	2. Pesky Legalities

**Disclaimer:** We don't own Loveless, but we do own any of the characters I happen to create.

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**Chapter 1**

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Flashback

The day had started out as any other. Ritsuka went to school and saw his friends, Yuiko and Yayoi. They sat through class and Shinonome-sensei's lessons. Everything had been completely normal.

When the final bell rang, the three of them exited the school and, as usual, Soubi was waiting just outside the gates. The children parted ways and fighter and sacrifice walked to the man's apartment.

Soubi had asked Ritsuka if he wanted to go to his house after school and, surprisingly, the boy had agreed.

This had thrilled the blond, as the only time that they were ever able to spend together was at the Aoyagi household where they had to be careful that they weren't discovered by Ritsuka's mother.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to them, nothing at all.

There was something though, something that they hadn't noticed, something that was crucial.

Yes, everything had been a normal occurrence that day, including a kiss initiated by Soubi just after Ritsuka's friends left that made him flush beet red.

"Soubi!" He whispered harshly, as he looked around. "We're right in front of the school, what if someone saw us? You have to be more careful."

The boy was right though, Soubi _should_ have been more careful. That day, someone _did _see them.

Yukimura Nadeshiko, a History teacher at the school, leaned against the brick wall. Just on the other side, a few moments before, she had witnessed something.

"That was no innocent kiss." She stated.

Something had to be done.

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When Ritsuka had arrived at home several hours later, his mother did not greet him with violence for being late, as he'd expected. He was greeted, instead by the sound of voices in the living room.

Something was amiss.

He walked silently to the doorway of the living room, spying. On the couch sat his mother and father, but he couldn't see their faces. Across from them was a woman with long black hair whom he could swear that he had seen before; next to her was another woman with wavy, light brown hair that was up in a ponytail.

She was speaking to his parents in a kind manner. "I understand your concerns Aoyagi-san, that is why legal action must be taken. It's a good thing you called me." She said, folding her slender hands in her lap.

Ritsuka moved just a little bit closer, attempting to hear whatever answer his parents would give.

_Legal action? What's going on?..._

He moved back, knowing that he would get in trouble for eavesdropping if he lingered any longer and anyone was to see him.

He accidentally bumped into a small table, though. A vase tipped, threatening to fall, but with quick reflexes, he caught it.

Sadly, it had made a small noise.

"Ritsuka, is that you?" Came his father's voice. Placing the vase upright, he responded. "Yes dad."

"Come in here please, we need to talk to you."The brown-haired woman stated in a voice that made her sound like should could have easily been a kindergarten teacher.

Ritsuka hated people like that, they were always so condescending. Reluctantly, the boy entered the room.

A quick glance at his mom showed that she had been crying. His dad just ran a hand through his hair in what seemed like a mixture of anger and confusion.

_What is going on?..._

The brown-haired woman gave him a small smile. He could tell that she was some sort of professional, perhaps another psychiatrist.

"Please, sit down Ritsuka-kun." She said, motioning to a chair that had been placed beside the couch that his parents were on, he obeyed.

The child finally couldn't take it anymore and dared to ask what was going on. The other adults gave the brown-haired woman a nod.

"Ritsuka-kun, my name is Aoi Ayaka and I'm a social worker. Do you know what that is?" She asked in that condescending way Ritsuka had predicted. He nodded, he may be young, but he wasn't stupid.

"Good. Well, Yukimura-sensei here...she saw something happen outside of your school this afternoon. She witnessed an older man kiss you."

Ritsuka's eyes went wide.

He had always been worried that someone would see, but he had never actually thought that they would. He had become so used to it that he barely ever even pushed the man away anymore.

Now that someone had seen, they would take Soubi away; they would make him alone again. He would never see that man who had changed his life...ever again.

Coming back to reality, he noticed his hands were shaking and clasped them to stop it.

"Ritsuka, why didn't you tell us what was happening?" His mother questioned, her voice cracking.

Of course, around other people the woman acted as though she actually cared about him. He knew the truth though.

Aoi-san turned to him. "You seem like a smart boy, so why didn't you tell an adult what this man was doing to you?"

Just what were they getting at? They couldn't possibly think that Soubi-

"What do you mean? He's just- Soubi would never..." He couldn't believe that his parents knew.

"I understand that this may be hard, but I have an obligation to call the police and have them arrest this man. Would you please tell me his name?" Aoi-san stated.

Surely he could never sell out Soubi. "No." Ritsuka replied.

His parents looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean, no?Ritsuka, if you know his name you have to tell us." His father said.

The dark-haired boy shook his head.

"No."

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Within half an hour, there were at least five police officers in the Aoyagi household. Two were questioning his parents as well as Yukimura-sensei. Despite his protests, and with the permission of his

parents, a few had gone into his room and began rummaging around.

They took Ritsuka's pictures of Soubi and himself, and when he tried to get them back, they stated that they were needed for the investigation. He couldn't take it anymore after that and went downstairs to the kitchen.

Now that they had Soubi's picture, it would only be a matter of time before they found him. There was nothing he could do now. His mother had caught him earlier trying to call the fighter and took his phone, not even bothering to ask where he'd gotten it.

A female police officer came in and attempted to talk to him, but he refused to answer any of her questions. He wouldn't do anything that would hurt Soubi.

After another hour or so, he heard one of the officers tell his parents that they had found 'the guy' and taken him into custody. Upon hearing this, tears came to his violet eyes and he willed them away.

Crying wouldn't help anyone.

"I'm sorry Soubi." He whispered.

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They had taken Soubi to the police station without even telling him what he was being arrested for. Oh, he could have easily fought the wimpy officers, but instead had remained calm. Assaulting one of them would only get him into more trouble.

It had been rather funny seeing Kio jump onto one of their backs though. When the cop had thrown him to the floor, Soubi had told the blond to calm down and not to worry.

The handcuffs were nothing compared to the restraints used during spell battles and he could have easily broken them, but he knew better than that.

_Just stay calm and cooperate..._

They would let him go once they figured out that this was all some sort of misunderstanding.

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"You think that I _molested _him?" Soubi asked, his kind facade now abandoned for his murderous glare.

The officer shoved him into a chair and shut the door to the small interrogation room.

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The same female officer that had attempted to talk to Ritsuka before, now led him into the police station. She had explained to him in the car that he would have to be examined for any signs of sexual assault.

That was just great.

She led him into a chilly room where a male doctor and an officer waited with a camera.

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Ritsuka felt violated.

That had been an odd experience to say the least, one that he hoped to never have _ever _again.

He was brought to a chair and told to wait there for his parents. The violet-eyed boy's gaze swept over the large room.

Police were everywhere, of course. It made him uneasy.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of flaxen hair. He turned and saw Soubi, in handcuffs, being pushed by another officer.

"Soubi!" The boy shouted, running past the police to the blond.

"Ritsuka." He stated with relief, jerking out of the cop's grip. He moved away quickly and his sacrifice hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry. They came to my house a-and I'm so sorry. They took our pictures, so it was my fault they found you. I-I tried to stop them but-" All of this, Ritsuka said frantically in a matter of seconds.

"I was worried about you." The man stated, resting his chin on top of his sacrifice's head.

Suddenly, they were ripped apart.

Soubi was shoved against a wall and Ritsuka was pulled away.

"Let me go! Soubi!" Ritsuka cried, tugging his arm, but the officer held him tightly.

"Don't touch him." The blond said threateningly and pushed the cop holding him backward.

He grabbed the man's wrist and flipped him up-side down. He landed on his back, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Other officers saw the commotion and swarmed the fighter. This time, he didn't put up any resistance and allowed one of them to knock him to the floor and hold him there.

"Soubi!" Ritsuka shouted again, he couldn't see him through all of the people. One of the men moved and violet eyes locked with sapphire ones.

Soubi mouthed the words, "I love you," before he was lifted up and pushed past a pair of large doors.

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Okay! So that was the first technical chapter, we hope you liked it.

P.S.- I know it may not be enough to make a case on, but bear with me. Also, you guys should know straight off, I don't know much about court-stuff and I really don't care as long as my fic works. (I'm 16, cut me some slack.)


	3. The many faces of evil

Thank you all for of the encouraging reviews you've given so far. You know I love you guys.

Loveless seems to be my favorite fandom to write fics for. I do have a Kyou Kara Maoh fic in the works, but is that done yet? No. And I started it way before this one...

**Disclaimer:** We don't own Loveless, but who do own the characters we've created.

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**Chapter 2**

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The court hearing was a few weeks later.

During the time before it though, Ritsuka was subject to ridicule and all sorts of questions from his parents, classmates, teachers and random people on the streets. The story of the little boy who loved a pedophile was all over town.

Ritsuka had never actually admitted that he loved Soubi, although he felt that it was a strong possibility. He didn't have time to think about that though, there were too many other things on his mind.

And where had they gotten the idea that Soubi was a pedophile?

His parents had hired a lawyer. Her name was Watanabe Chikaru and she was a horrid woman who never listened to a word he said, she just liked to fill in the blanks with her own thoughts. After a while, he didn't even bother correcting her, he would tell the truth during the trial.

When his parents and attorney led him up the steps to the courthouse, they were bombarded by news reporters and camera flashes.

They had hurried inside, his mother giving the only comment: "I just hope that, that man gets what he deserves for what he did to my little boy."

Ritsuka wasn't at all prepared for speaking in front of all the people that had shown up, and feared that he would faint.

He had been forced to wear a simple back suit. It wasn't really that bad, it just made him think about the last time he'd worn one...at his brother's funeral.

When Soubi and his lawyer walked in, Ritsuka looked up.

The blond was wearing a black suit as well, with a white shirt underneath it. His lavender tie had already been loosened and his bandages were showing.

_He looks...good._

Ritsuka couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face at the sight of the man, but a look from his mother quickly made it melt away.

Everyone sat down and Ritsuka turned around to see who had come. To his surprise, many of the teams they had battled against previously were there.

Midori and Ai (Breathless) sat together near Yamato and Kouya (Zero) who were whispering to each other. They were all dressed normally; the Zero girls in their school uniforms and Breathless in regular clothes.

He knew that neither pair approved of him and Soubi as a team, but perhaps they understood their relationship at least a little bit.

It came as no surprise that Kio was there. He was dressed in a cream-colored suit, accompanied by a red, silk shirt. Despite how unconventional the outfit was, it seemed more awkward to him than anything he'd ever worn in his life.

Something Ritsuka hadn't expected, though, was for Natsuo and Youji to be there too. Of course, they were wearing their usual slightly revealing, gender-confused clothing; complete with zig-zagging draw strings and frilliness.

The three were "witnesses" and were seated behind Soubi.

The Zero boys waved to him and giggled. Kio turned to them and most likely reprimanded them, saying that this was a serious matter. When he turned around, they scowled at his back.

Shinonome-sensei was a few rows behind him, he realized, nervously fumbling with her glasses. She was wearing a long, plain brow dress. Beside her sat (quite smartly dressed in a skirt and blouse) Yuiko and Yayoi (who wore a dress shirt and pants.)

They were all "witnesses" as well (except for Yayoi, whose parents strictly forbade him from testifying because of his health.)

Katsuko-sensei was right behind Ritsuka, she had spoken to his lawyer and insisted that she be there. She smiled at him.

He was glad for everyone's presence, hopefully they could help Soubi.

_Thank you all..._

"Ritsuka." His mother put her hand on his arm, telling him to turn around.

The bailiff called for silence with his deep voice as he stated, "All rise for the honorable Judge Nanto Fujitaka."

Said man walked in and took his seat at the front of the courtroom. "You may be seated."

The trial began with standard court-talk and legal jargon, to which Ritsuka paid no mind as he glanced over at Soubi.

The blond looked as though he hadn't slept for a while, but he was still as handsome as ever.

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_Ritsuka..._

Luckily the boy seemed well enough; he didn't have any extra cuts or bruises that were visible and he also seemed like he was eating well. That was very good.

Soubi had missed him more than ever during the time that they had been apart. In his cold cell, there wasn't much more to think about than his young sacrifice.

He knew the consequences if the verdict was against him, but he couldn't bear to think about it any longer.

When the judge gestured and Ritsuka's lawyer stood, his attention immediately went to her.

She was a rather thin woman with high cheek bones and an unattractive harshness about her. Her pale lips were pressed together in a thin line and her dark hair was up in a tight knot. She appeared to be about forty, which meant that she no doubt had experience.

Her hands were clasped behind her back as she began pacing.

"Agatsuma Soubi has been, as he puts it, 'friends' with my client, Aoyagi Ritsuka for over seven months. In that time, they have become close- too close I believe. Aoyagi-kun is merely twelve years old and as such does not understand their unorthodox relationship. This man, this adult of twenty two years has manipulated him into believing that they are in love and that it is alright for him to do what he does."

She turned to Soubi and he put up his façade of indifference.

"I intend, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, to prove through evidence and the testimonies of witnesses that Agatsuma Soubi deserves to be put behind bars. Thank you." She concluded and sat down beside Ritsuka's mother.

The fighter's own lawyer stood next.

He was Ukai Haruto, a determined young man who had received his degree in law only a year before at Oxford University in England. He had light brown hair and a physique that said that he went to the gym at least a few times a week, he was also about as tall as Soubi. He was kind and had even expressed an understanding of his and Ritsuka's situation.

"My client, Agatsuma Soubi is far from the manipulative pervert that Watanabe-san has made him out to be. He helped young Aoyagi-kun when he had no one else to turn to, and became his friend. There is no crime in an adult being friends with a child. He has never done anything even remotely perverse to this boy. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, please examine the evidence and listen closely to the testimonies of these good people. They will prove to you that Agatsuma Soubi is completely innocent of all charges. Thank you."

Here, he sat back down and the judge nodded. "The prosecution may call its first witness to the stand."

It was a silent agreement among all who knew, that the whole fighter-sacrifice, spell battle thing was not to be addressed. That would only further complicate things. Not to mention, the jury would pin Soubi as some sort of masochist with an S&M-Lolita complex, as Kio had stated countless times jokingly.

Ritsuka's lawyer stood and was about to speak when the large doors at the back of the courtroom opened. Everyone turned as Ritsu and Nagisa-sensei walked in, arms linked as if they were a couple.

Ritsu was wearing a coat similar to one that Soubi owned, it even had the same furry collar. Nagisa had pigtails and a white fur coat on, covering an outrageous dress, no doubt.

The people turned around as the two sat down at the very back of the room. The members of the fighter teams paled. They all feared those people perhaps more than anything in the world.

Youji and Natsuo weren't scared, they liked Nagisa-sensei, even if she didn't like both of them. The two waved and their teacher waved back, giggling. Ritsu rolled his eyes and smirked when he caught sight of his own (as far as he was concerned) student.

Soubi wasn't afraid, there was no question as to how they had been able to get in once the trial had already begun, Ritsu was a master of manipulation.

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"I call Yukimura Nadeshiko to the stand." Stated Watanabe. The other woman stood and took her seat at the witness stand.

Watanabe stood in front of her and began questioning. "Yukimura-san, would you please explain to the court what you saw on the afternoon of (insert date here) (1)?"

The dark-haired woman nodded. "I was walking out of the school, I teach History there, when I saw young Aoyagi-kun speaking with a older man. Most of the teachers have known about Aoyagi-kun since he first arrived in the beginning of the school year, so I recognized him. Well, as I got closer, I noticed that the man was standing very close to him in a way that struck me as odd. I could tell that they didn't hear, or see me approach because when I reached the wall, the man leaned down and kissed Aoyagi-kun on the lips." Here, she looked at Soubi.

"Were you positive that the man you saw was Agatsuma-san?" Watanabe questioned.

"Yes, absolutely." The other replied.

"You may continue."

"I was shocked. At that point, I hid behind the brick wall and heard Aoyagi-kun state that, he had told him _before_ not to do that in public. I knew then that something had to be done. So, when I saw them leave, I rushed back into the school and found the phone number for Aoyagi Ritsuka's house. I didn't entirely explain to his mother over the phone, but went to his house instead." Yukimura-sensei concluded.

Watanabe allowed a small smile to slither across her lips. "Thank you Yukimura-san, I have no further questions." She stated, sitting down.

Judge Nanto turned to Soubi's lawyer. "The defense may now question the witness."

"No further questions, your honor." Ukai-san stated. The judge nodded. "You may call your first witness."

The young man stood. "I call Shinonome Hitomi to the stand." The eared woman stood, passed through the small wooden gate and took the stand.

Youji and Natsuo giggled a bit and her brown ears twitched.

"Shinonome-san, you are Aoyagi-kun's sensei, correct?" Haruto asked.

"Y-yes." She answered nervously.

"And in the time that you have known him, have you ever seen him with Agatsuma-san?"

"Yes."

"And what was your impression of their relationship?"

"Agatsuma-san seems like a very kind man who only wished to look out for Aoyagi-kun, they're friends."

"Did you ever witness any behavior similar to that which Yukimura-san did?"

"No."

"Never?"

"Never. They just seemed like close friends, Agatsuma-san held his hand and they occasionally hugged. It was never anything that seemed wrong."

The man nodded. "Thank you, Shinonome-san. I have no further questions." He said, going back to his seat.

Ritsuka's lawyer stood and walked up to Shinonome-sensei. The other woman moved back in her seat, uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze.

"Shinonome-san, if you are merely Aoyagi-kun's teacher, how were you able to observe them together so often?"

"I saw Agatsuma-san waiting for Aoyagi-kun outside of the school nearly everyday."

"Is that all? So you only ever witnessed them interact from afar?"

"Well, I don't usually become too much involved in my students' lives, but I had visited Aoyagi-kun's house once and met Agatsuma-san. We also went to the amusement park, along with two of my other students who are Aoyagi-kun's friends. I've seen them together quite a few times since."

Watanabe nodded. "I see that you still have your ears, how old are you Shinonome-san?"

"Objection, this is irrelevant." Ukai-san stated.

"Overruled." The judge replied.

"Um...twenty three." Shinonome-sensei answered timidly.

"I'm sure that, that is quite troublesome. Someone in your position would be looking for someone to lose them to, wouldn't they? Agatsuma-san is quite good-looking, perhaps you've considered him."

Shinonome blushed, how had she realized that she was interested in him? And he was right there, watching her...she just wanted to curl up into a ball.

As if reading her thoughts, the woman continued. "The way that you have been avoiding looking in his direction tells me that, perhaps you've considered this. Maybe you wanted to be with him, but he turned you down. Now, I don't know about you, but most people would surely wish to get back at someone who had wronged them. Or perhaps you still have feelings for him...Are you lying to protect him?"

"N-no."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"No more questions, your honor." Watanabe stated, moving away from the witness stand. The judge turned to the poor brown-haired woman. "You may return to your seat." She did so.

"Prosecution calls Katsuko Shouko (2) to the stand."

Ritsuka looked up as his psychiatrist rose and walked to the front of the courtroom. She turned and gave him an encouraging smile.

"Katsuko-san, what is your relationship with young Aoyagi-kun?"

"I'm his psychiatrist." She responded calmly.

"Would you please explain to the court the reason for his sessions with you?"

"Ritsuka-kun has amnesia and cannot remember a thing before two years ago. He is worried that he is not the "real" Ritsuka and comes to me for weekly sessions." The short-haired woman stated, revealing only as much as she would allow herself to without betraying the boy's trust.

"I see, and what is your opinion of Aoyagi-kun?"

"He is a very bright boy with much potential, but he's a bit shy and finds it hard to make friends." She replied calmly, either she was truly so, or she was good masking her true feelings.

"Have you ever met Agatsuma-san?"

"No."

"Has Aoyagi-kun ever spoken to you about him?"

"Yes."

"Could you tell us what he said?"

"No, I cannot reveal what my patients speak to me about, it is confidential. I can tell you that he has never shown any sign of, nor spoken about any sort of perverse actions made by Agatsuma-san and Ritsuka-kun is a _very _honest child."

"Thank you, I have no further questions." Watanabe stated, sitting down.

Soubi's attorney went up. "Katsuko-san, you have been treating Aoyagi-kun for two years now, you say?"

"Yes."

"And in that time, have you become close?"

"I believe so, he's one of my favorite patients."

"Close enough to call yourselves friends?" Haruto questioned.

"I'd like to think so. I took him out to dinner once. Ritsuka-kun is a very likeable person, regardless of his age, and very interesting." The woman stated, folding her hands in her lap.

"So, you think that there is nothing wrong with an adult-child friendship?"

"Of course, there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, the interaction is good for children, they are able to become more comfortable with adults and often learn things that they would not have with friends their own age."

"Thank you, no further questions."

The woman went back to her seat, placing a hand on Ritsuka's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. Ritsuka watched her sit back down.

_Thank you sensei..._

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Hokay, that was chapter two. We hope you enjoyed it.

(1) I don't want to go through the trouble of thinking of a date that works.

(2) Her name is Katsuko, but since so many people call her Shouko, I used it as her first name. Please tell me if you're sure that it's otherwise.

Don't forget to leave lots of reviews!

P.S- We don't have any law degree, we just watch a lot of T.V. Go easy on us if you know more than we do. I wrote this and the next chapter before I found out a few critical things, but I really didn't feel like changing it.


	4. You call yourself his mother?

I know that it may sound as though Kio looks like a pimp...The color of his suit was my sister's idea, so blame her if you don't like it.

**Disclaimer:** We don't own Loveless

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**Chapter 3**

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Soubi was happy that the woman felt that way.

He was a bit jealous that she was so close to Ritsuka though, she probably knew more about his sacrifice than he did.

The flaxen blond looked behind him to see Kio fidgeting in his suit.

It hadn't been long before the man had unbuttoned the top of his red dress shirt. Nothing could be plain with him. His many earrings didn't exactly match with the suit either.

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"The defense calls Kaidou Kio to the stand."

The blond gave Soubi a smile. "Wish me luck, Sou-chan." He whispered, walking up to the stand. He sat down and leaned back, giving the illusion of comfort.

"Kaidou-san-" Ukai began.

"Please, call me Kio."

The other man nodded. "Kio-san, please tell us your relationship with Agatsuma-san."

"He's my best friend and classmate."

"And you know Aoyagi-kun as well?"

"Not exactly, we've hung out once or twice and he sometimes comes over when I'm at Sou-ch-... Soubi's apartment. He's a good kid, really cute."

"In your opinion, was their relationship ever _too_ close?"

"No, Sou-chan's not like that." The man often joked about such matters, but when it came down to it, he knew better. Besides, even if it was the truth, he would lie for Soubi without a second thought.

"I've no more questions."

Watanabe stood and walked up to the witness stand, putting her hands on it. Kio merely looked at her, unflinching. He had learned a thing or two from years of being around Soubi.

"Kaidou-san, how long have you known Agatsuma-san?"

"Since the first day of college."

"And what is your major?"

Kio looked at her in confusion. "Art."

"And what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a model for art classes."

"That's funny, I have a paper here that says that you happen to work at a local Strip Club."

_Ah, I see..._

Kio got her game now, he smirked. "What of it?"

"You don't deny it?"

"No, I need something to pay the bills and I use what I have."

"So, you work at a Strip Club and are best friends with a man who has been accused of being a pedophile."

Whatever semblance of control that he'd had was swept away. He looked at Soubi apologetically.

"Well, thank you for your testimony, Kaidou-san. No further questions." She stated with an evil looking smirk.

The blond stepped down and went back to his seat, placing his head in his hands. Somehow he felt as though he'd just blown everything for his friend.

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"The prosecution calls Aoyagi Misaki to the stand."

Ritsuka turned in time to see the brief smile that passed on his mother's face.

This was not going to be good. He could tell that barely a word out of her mouth would be the truth. His hands started to shake as she put up the face of a worried mother.

Watanabe and Misaki's eyes met with a look of agreement as his mother sat down.

"Aoyagi-san, did you have any idea that your son was even acquainted with this man?"

"Not at all. He keeps to himself a lot and barely talks to me anymore."

"I understand that your eldest son's death put a lot of strain on your whole family."

"Yes, after Seimei died, I had only my dear Ritsuka left. But he had changed, so I barely knew him anymore."

"How was he different?"

"He wasn't my baby anymore, the sweet little boy who had lots of friends and was bright and bubbly was gone. He had become self-contained and no longer talked to anyone. The only improvement was in his grades...How is a mother supposed to act after her son becomes a completely different person? I tried so hard to get my Ritsuka back..." Tears rolled down her cheeks and she pulled out a tissue, dabbing at them.

She continued, sniffling. "But I still love him very much. He's still my son and that _man_ is trying to corrupt him."

"I have here-" The attorney stated, picking up a small plastic bag. "-exhibit 'A.'" These are pictures that were found in your son's room. He is with Agatsuma Soubi and they seem to be having a _very_ good time. Have you ever seen these pictures before?"

"No, never." Misaki replied.

"Thank you, that is all." The other woman stated, sitting down.

Haruto shook his head. They made a good team, that was for sure.

"Aoyagi-san, do you know the names of any of your son's friends?" He questioned.

"What does this have to do with-"

"Please answer the question." The judge stated calmly.

"No." She replied.

"And what of his tastes? Do you know what type of music he listens to? Or his favorite books?"

"No." She was beginning to get annoyed, but was hiding it.

"And those pictures- the police say that they were found in his room on a bulletin board. They were not hidden, there is no content suggesting that they should be. Had you been in your son's room you could have seen them easily. Why would he leave them out, in plain sight, if he thought that there was the possibility that you would see them, and that he had reason to hide them."

"I suppose. But-"

"But you didn't care? You say that you love your son, yet you tell me that you haven't even spoken to him enough to know what he likes."

"I told you, he doesn't talk to me."

"Have you even made an effort? From previous testimonies, it seems that he has been hanging out with Agatsuma-san quite often and we know that this has been going on for over seven months. As his mother, wouldn't you have seen this man at least _once_ in that time?"

"I don't know, maybe they hid."

"Hid? That would be very hard for so long. Perhaps you just don't care." Ukai stated.

"That's not true, I _love _my son!"

"But Agatsuma-san was friends with your other son, Seimei, as well. Do you mean to tell me that in all that time, you never saw him once? Perhaps you've neglected both of your children."

Soubi arched an eyebrow. It was promising to see that his own attorney had a few tricks up his sleeve.

"Don't you talk about my Seimei!" She cried, standing.

"Objection! Your honor, she's obviously distraught, she can't think straight with this sort of questioning." Watanabe stated, rising.

"Sustained. Aoyagi-san, you may step down." The woman did so, shoving past the young lawyer.

----

Ritsuka pushed up his sleeve. He didn't usually have a watch, but his mother had taken away his cell phone. He was surprised at how much time had passed.

Judge Nanto stood, all eyes went to him. "The court will adjourn and reconvene tomorrow morning at 10 AM." He stated and stood, gathering some papers from his podium.

"All rise." The bailiff said, his deep voice filling the courtroom.

The judge exited the room and everyone began to gather their things and leave. Ritsuka looked back to realize that none of the fighter teams had left yet.

He turned to see Soubi being led out of the room by the bailiff.

_Soubi..._

The man turned, as though he'd heard the boy's thoughts. Their eyes caught each other's gaze.

The young sacrifice held back tears. Seeing Soubi like this made his heart ache. Sure, he would be going back to his house with his _mother_, but the blond was going back to jail.

--

Soubi saw the shimmer in Ritsuka's eyes. It made him more sad than he already was that he could make his Ritsuka cry. He gave a reassuring smile, although he himself wasn't sure of the outcome of it all.

At this, he saw Ritsuka smile a bit too, just before his mother called his name and he turned away.

_Goodbye Ritsuka..._

He hoped that this wouldn't be the last time that they were able to share such a moment.

As he himself was lead away, he could feel a familiar gaze burning into his back. He didn't give the man the satisfaction of seeing his face.

----

Ritsu grabbed Nagisa by the arm. "What? I thought we were going to go see Soubi." The woman stated childishly with a pout.

"There will be time for that later."

"Oh? But what if he loses and they put him in jail? Where will your star pupil be then?" She teased.

"I have absolute faith in Soubi-kun, he will not lose." The silvery-blond stated, adjusting his glasses. Nagisa huffed as he pulled her into the crowd that was leaving the courtroom.

----

Kio and the Zero boys got up. "Hey Ritsuka!" Natsuo shouted across the room.

Said boy looked up as they walked over.

Despite how serious they had been on the stand, the two were now smiling as always. "This is nuts, when I heard that-" Youji was cut off by Misaki.

"Who are you boys and how do you know my Ritsuka?"

Kio stepped forward. "Well-"

"_You_. I don't want you near my son, you're friends with that _man_." She stated, moving to stand beside Ritsuka.

"Listen, Aoyagi-san, this whole thing is just a big misunderstanding. Sou-chan never did anything wrong." The blond explained.

Misaki glared at him, Kio stepped back.

"Ritsuka-kun." Yuiko said, walking up tp them.

"Hey Yuiko." The dark-haired boy greeted, moving away from his mom.

"Mother, could you please leave me alone with my friends for a little while?"

The woman scowled, then her features softened. "Of course, Ritsuka." She said in a motherly voice, walking down the aisle and out the doors.

Everyone else had already left, except for them and the other fighter teams.

Ritsuka turned to his friends. "Thank you all for what you said. I just hope it was enough."

"Take it easy kid, Soubi's tough, he'll definitely win." Yamato stated from her seat a few rows back.

"Yeah, he's unbeatable." Ai agreed.

"Um...Ritsuka-kun, who are those people? I remember seeing those two before at school." Yuiko stated, speaking of Breathless. "Are they your friends?"

Ritsuka thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess they are."

"You hags better leave before we kick your butts." Youji challenged, addressing the other Zero team.

Yamato smiled. "You're cute kid, but don't you remember how we wupped _your _butts last time?" She put her feet up on the back of the bench in front of her.

"Anytime, old lady, anytime." The green-haired boy retorted.

Kio stepped in. "Hey now, take it easy. Don't forget the important reason that we're here, our beloved Sou-chan is in trouble."

"_Beloved_ is right." Midori mumbled.

"He's right, we need to give Loveless our support." Kouya said, finally speaking up.

Her sacrifice looked at her. "I guess so. Good luck kid, stay strong." The blond stated, taking the other girl by the hand and guiding her out through the large, wooden doors.

Midori stood as well. "I'm getting a drink. See ya, Loveless." He said with a wave, as he walked out with Ai close behind. The purple-haired girl groaned. "Oh, Midori please no more of those weird drinks."

"Ritsuka-kun, who were they? Yui- I'm very confused...Who's Loveless?"

Not wanting to explain, Ritsuka sidestepped the question. "You look really pretty today Yuiko."

That got her, the girl blushed as pink as her hair. "Th-thank you Ritsuka-kun."

Youji rolled his eyes. "I have to say, this wasn't such a bad experience after all." He stated. Natsuo nudged him. "Youji."

"It was pretty great seeing Kio jump on that cop's back." He grinned, looking up at the blond.

Kio glared indignantly at the child. "I was only trying to-...Sou-chan was..." He turned, flustered, and left the room.

The Zero boys giggled. "Bye Ritsuka." The burgundy-haired boy said, pulling his sacrifice. "See you tomorrow." The other stated.

Ritsuka shook his head. It was nice having things feel so normal, but then he looked around at where they were and sighed.

Nothing was as it should have been, this was all wrong.

"Ritsuka-kun, your mother is calling you." Yuiko pointed out. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye." Ritsuka replied, walking toward a person whom he wished was another.

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Hope you liked it, please review!


	5. Raise your hand if you want to kill her

I'm so sorry! I know this was really late, but here are the last two chapters for your enjoyment! Just to clarify, if any of you were confused, the entire thing is a sort of flashback. You'll know when it comes back to the present.

**Disclaimer:** We don't own Loveless

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**Chapter 4**

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The next day was pretty much a repeat of the previous one. More witnesses, more testimonies, and more of the same accusations about Soubi.

--

"The prosecution may call its next witness." Judge Nanto stated.

The terrible woman stood and turned to the jury. "Ladies and gentlemen, Agatsuma-san, in fact, lives with two other little boys. I call Youji (insert last name here) (3) to the stand."

The mint green-haired boy stood, his fighter following suit.

"Excuse me, just Youji-kun for now." She said.

The boys looked at her. "Lady, I'm not saying a word unless Natsuo comes with me." The burgundy-eyed boy stated, crossing his arms.

Watanabe pursed her lips. "Your honor?" She questioned, turning to the man.

The Judge though for a moment. "It's a bit odd, but I'll allow it. Proceed."

The Zero boys smiled and walked up to the stand. "Hag." Youji whispered as they passed the woman.

They were, by far, the most oddly dressed ones in the courtroom and everyone noticed this.

"Boys, how long have you been living with Agatsuma-san?" She began.

"I dunno...maybe four months or more, eh Natsuo?" Youji stated, his partner nodded. They had somehow both managed to fit on the chair.

"And in that time, has he ever done anything to you?"

"What do you mean?" Natsuo responded.

"Has he ever touched you?" Watanabe explained.

The boys burst out laughing.

"Soubi?" Natsuo asked through his laughter. "He would never do that." The sacrifice continued through subsiding giggles.

"If anything, we would be the ones to do something to him." His burgundy-haired partner stated once they'd stopped.

The woman didn't dare ask what they meant by that. "That's some odd clothing that you're wearing, Natsuo-kun, a bit girly though. Does Agatsuma-san make you wear those?"

Youji stared at her fiercely. "Natsuo can wear whatever he wants, I think he looks great and I _don't _like the way that you're talking about Soubi. He took us in when we had no where else to go. We-...our _parents_ didn't want us anymore. He's good and would never hurt Ritsuka, he protects him." He stated leaning forward.

He had the urge to just stab her with something.

"Yeah, he's Ritsuka's guardian. Nothing can ever happen to him when Soubi's around." Natsuo added.

Watanabe fought back a glare, the boys did not.

"That is all." She stated tersely, going back to her seat.

"No further questions, your honor." Ukai-san stated.

--

The boys walked back to their seats hand in hand. "I _really_ hate that woman." Stated Youji, his partner nodded.

Kio looked at them in awe. They had totally shut that evil woman up. "How did you do that? You were amazing." He whispered.

Natsuo and Youji smiled at him. "Hey, we like Soubi." Natsuo said with a shrug.

The man shook his head with a smile. "I'm buying you guys candy when this is all over."

----

Ritsuka could just kiss those boys. They had just helped Soubi's case greatly. He briefly looked over at the flaxen-blond man.

_Don't worry Soubi, I won't let them do this to you..._

He turned to his mother. This woman should have been the one sitting across the room. She should be paying for what she'd done to him...but she was his mother and he would never wish such a fate for her.

Yuiko was called up next for questioning, luckily his lawyer went relatively easy on her.

--

"Hawatari-chan, how old are you?" Watanabe questioned.

"Twelve." Yuiko replied.

"My, well you certainly don't look it." The dark-haired woman commented.

Yuiko wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or insult. She was too nervous to think about it.

"Hawatari-chan, you're friends with Aoyagi-kun, correct?"

The pink-haired girl nodded.

"And to your knowledge he is a good, wholesome boy, is he not?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever met Agatsuma Soubi?"

"Yes, Soubi-san is very kind. He really cares about Ritsuka-kun."

"Have you ever seen him do anything...weird to Aoyagi-kun?"

"Weird?"

"Have you ever seen him kiss him or anything like that?"

"No, Soubi-san protects Ritsuka-kun, he would never do something like that. Then Ritsuka-kun might tell him to go away and he would be sad and Ritsuka-kun would be sad too, but he wouldn't tell anyone."

"But he tells you?"

Yuiko shook her head, causing her pigtails to sway. "Ritsuka-kun doesn't like to talk about his feelings. I can just tell when he's had a fight with Soubi-san or something because he gets really sad. He'd never admit it, but Soubi-san's very important to him. I think it's nice that Ritsuka-kun has someone who really cares about him and takes care of him."

Watanabe could tell that she wasn't going to get anything out of this girl. "Thank you Hawatari-chan, I have no more questions."

Ukai-san stood. "No further questions, your honor." The girl had already helped his client.

Yuiko got up and went back to her seat. She could only hope that she'd helped at least a little bit.

_Please don't let Soubi-san go to prison, then Ritsuka-kun would never smile again..._

----

There was no one left to question now; no one but the only two people who knew the whole truth.

"I call Agatsuma Soubi to the stand." The young lawyer stated.

Soubi looked over at his sacrifice, blue eyes softening. It was all for Ritsuka, none of this was for himself at all. He would fight to protect Ritsuka...always.

The defendant took the stand at long last. He folded his hands, ready to state what he had already explained to the police a hundred times.

"Agatsuma-san, would you please describe to the court what happened on that day?"

The blond nodded once. "I was waiting for Ritsuka outside of the school as usual-"

"You wait for him often?" His lawyer interrupted.

"If he permits it."

"Continue."

Soubi decided that he would get the truth out in the open before that evil woman could. "And after his friends left, I did kiss him."

--

Ritsuka couldn't believe it.

How could Soubi say that? He was practically throwing his freedom away.

Didn't Soubi want to be with him?

--

Soubi dared to glance at his sacrifice, the boy seemed crushed.

_I'm sorry Ritsuka..._

Ukai swallowed hard and fixed his tie.

_Tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, huh?..._

His client wasn't exactly making this an easy fight.

_--_

Soubi continued. "But I did nothing else. I do not see the crime in one innocent kiss."

"Well, as Yukimura-san stated yesterday, there had most likely been previous instances in which you kissed him as well."

"Yes, well...I did, but they were all innocent, friendly kisses. You know how embarrassed some people can be with such displays." Soubi explained.

"That is true. Agatsuma-san, according to your friend, you seem to have had Aoyagi-kun over to your apartment quite often."

"Yes, Ritsuka came over sometimes after school."

"Don't you find that a bit odd? A grown man, alone in his apartment with a little boy. Many could characterize that as suspicious."

"I don't believe there is anything wrong with that. He sometimes played computer games with Natsuo and Youji. Kio is over a lot as well, he said so before, so we were rarely alone. It was a safe place for Ritsuka to go."

"But couldn't he have gone home?"

"Yes, sometimes I visited him at his house as well."

"But his mother claims to have never met you." Haruto pressed.

"I was always in his room."

"Alone?"

"Yes, but nothing ever happened. Sometimes I watched Ritsuka do his homework...I protected him."

"No further questions."

--

Watanabe stood. This was what she had been waiting for. She loved to manipulate someone until they were knee deep in a pool of their own incriminating confessions and sinking fast.

"Everyone keeps stating that Agatsuma-san is Aoyagi-kun's 'guardian', his 'protector.' He makes himself out to be some sort of glorified superhero. But look at him, he's the same as any one of us. There's nothing special about him, he doesn't have any sort of magical powers."

A giggle was heard at that statement.

She glared in the direction from which it had come, and continued.

"I've noticed that you use no honorifics when speaking about Aoyagi-kun. You two must be awfully close."

"Ritsuka and I do not care for honorifics and yes, we are very close."

The woman nodded thoughtfully. "I submit to you, your honor, exhibit 'B.'" She stated, handing a plastic bag with Ritsuka's cell phone in it to the man. He examined at it and handed it back to her.

She placed it in front of Soubi. "Have you ever seen this before?" She asked.

"Yes, I bought it for Ritsuka." The fighter replied.

"Isn't that odd? Why would you spend such money on a child?"

"I wanted Ritsuka and I to be connected. Besides, it didn't cost much and his phone bill is low."

She placed some papers in front of the judge. "These are text messages that were sent to and from this phone. If you'll look at the phone numbers, they are all the same one; it belongs to Agatsuma Soubi. In fact, Aoyagi-kun has never even called anyone else."

The judge regarded each of them in turn.

"There were also a number of phone calls ranging from a few seconds to half an hour each. That's somewhat short for a phone call, don't you think Agatsuma-san?"

"I prefer speaking to Ritsuka in person." He replied cooly.

"I'm sure you do. You are, as you said, very close to Aoyagi-kun. So close, that you often were inside of his house, his bedroom without his mother's knowledge."

Soubi didn't speak, he had already said as much.

Watanabe turned to the courtroom. "Ladies and gentlemen, this man assaulted an officer in the police station. How are we to know whether he would harm a child or not. He has admitted that he was almost always alone with the boy, it is surely possible."

Soubi glared.

_This woman..._

Ukai-san stood. "Objection! Your honor she has no proof of this accusation."

The judge looked down at her. "Watanabe-san?"

She smirked and picked up another bag. "Exhibit 'C', your honor. These are pictures taken during Aoyagi-kun's physical, of numerous bruises, cuts and scars on his body."

Again, she placed them in front of Soubi. The man went through the stack of photographs.

The ones on Ritsuka's arms he had seen before, but not the rest. There was a scar on his upper thigh that looked like a shallow stab wound, another was a bruise on his abdomen, a healing cut, another scar; and another...

The flaxen-blond looked down, his eyes becoming shadowed.

_Protect the sacrifice..._

They had degraded Ritsuka, seen his body...

"Have you ever harmed this boy?"

"No."

They'd taken pictures of him as if it was nothing...

"You've never hit him at all, just a little smack when he was annoying you perhaps?"

How could she say that? He wouldn't even _think _about hurting his sacrifice. Ritsuka meant _everything _to him.

Soubi slowly lifted his head, glaring at the vile woman. "Why don't you ask his _mother_?" He stated angrily.

Misaki stood. "How could you say that? He's my son!" Ritsuka looked up at the woman as his father pulled her back down.

"Aoyagi-san, please control yourself." Judge Nanto stated.

Watanabe looked at Soubi. The man had calmed himself some, his training came in handy.

"Do you mean to tell me that you believe that his mother hits him?" She questioned.

"Yes and perhaps even worse than that."

"And what gave you this impression?"

"Ritsuka always seemed to be terribly afraid of his mother, so I never questioned him when it came to such matters. He always made sure that we were quiet whenever she was home and he was always afraid of staying out past his curfew. I saw the cuts and bruises and it didn't take long to figure out who had inflicted them."

His mother had dared to put a single scratch on that perfect boy's skin...

"And yet you never told the police?"

"I figured that he would tell me the truth when he was ready. Although, yes, I should have told someone and I'm so sorry for that."

Here he turned to his sacrifice, sincerity shining in his sapphire orbs. "I vowed to protect you Ritsuka, but I couldn't even save you from your mother. I would never have forgiven myself if something terrible had happened to you too."

For the most part, that last word went unnoticed, except by Ritsuka.

The dark-haired woman moved on. "When did you lose your ears, Agatsuma-san?"

"Objection, this is irrelevant." Haruto stated.

Soubi answered anyway. "When I was about Ritsuka's age."

"Is that so? Perhaps you wanted to make him loose his ears at the same age that you did to make up for whomever took them away from you not loving you. You wanted to erase the mistakes of the past with that little boy, is that correct?"

"No, that is far from the truth." This woman had no idea.

"Have you ever had sexual intercourse with him?"

"Of course not, he's too young. Check his ears, they're completely authentic."

"Oh, so he's too young to have sex, but not too young to be in love, is that correct?"

Ritsuka wasn't ready to lose his ears yet...

"Yes. I would appreciate it if you'd stop depicting Ritsuka as some ignorant little boy. He's very smart and understands some things better than most adults." He replied.

"So you mean to tell me that you've never touched this boy inappropriately?"

"That is correct." The fighter stated angrily. This woman was irritating, how many times did he have to repeat himself?

"But you wanted to, didn't you? Just look at him, that pure white skin, big purple eyes. Don't tell me that you never even thought about it. You longed to stroke his dark hair and take away his velvet little ears-"

Ukai-san interjected. "Objection. Your honor, she's badgering the defendant."

Soubi slammed his hands on the wood of the witness stand, rising. "That is enough! Don't you dare talk about Ritsuka like that!"

He could take everything that she said about him, but he couldn't stand her talking about _his_ Ritsuka in such a way. She was an evil person and Ritsuka was innocent and pure...

The woman hadn't even realized that he hadn't answered the question. The truth was, of course he wanted to.

----

Ritsuka watched the questioning of his fighter.

Soubi looked irate, he had good reason to be. Somewhere inside of him, Ritsuka felt proud that the man was so passionate about him.

The boy hoped that the jury would see what a great person Soubi was and believe his claims of merely wishing to protect him.

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Hope you liked it, please review!

(3) I know this must be getting annoying, but I have no idea what his last name is.

I know that Soubi was stretching the truth a bit, but you don't want him to lose, do you?

The next chapter is the end, enjoy.


	6. He just never learns

Well, here's the last chapter, my pretties, enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** We don't own Loveless

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**Chapter 5**

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"Wow, that woman is a lot like you, Ritsu." Nagisa commented, regarding Watanabe's cruelty.

"Perhaps you think she could be competition for you?" The silver-blond retorted.

The woman blushed. "N-no. That's not what I meant. It's just that she doesn't seem like the type of person to back down and looks like she's enjoying this...torture. See? Just like you."

Ritsu arched an eyebrow. She had a point, they were similar, but not the same. Soubi could handle her.

He _was_ his student, after all.

----

There was a short list of people in the world whom Soubi would love to have the pleasure of killing if he was ever able to do so. The people on that list were: Ritsu-sensei, Ritsuka's mother and _this _woman, Watanabe.

He briefly wished that his sacrifice wasn't so innocent and good. That way, he could order him to do so. But Ritsuka was far too compassionate for that...even toward worthless people like her.

Watanabe looked at him and he thought that she could hear his thoughts, for she looked away surprisedly when their eyes met.

The dark haired woman cleared her throat.

"No further questions, your honor."

Soubi stepped down, his icy glare unseen by anyone but the female lawyer.

----

"I call Aoyagi Ritsuka to the stand." Watanabe stated.

The boy took a deep breath to steady himself. He tried to have confidence in himself.

_I'll fix everything..._

"Aoyagi-kun, please tell us about the first time you met Agatsuma-san." She was taking a different approach this time.

"It was after school on the first day. He was waiting for me outside the gates."

"So, he just showed up?"

Ritsuka nodded and continued. "He said that he was my brother, Seimei's friend, so I wanted to get to know him. I asked if he wanted to make memories with me."

"And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Pictures. I take pictures so that I won't forget things, they're my memories. Some of those pictures that the police took out of my room are from that day."

"Did you see him again soon after that?"

"Yes, he came to my house and school, except when I told him not to."

"And in that time, did he ever do anything to you?"

Ritsuka sat up in the chair. "I know what you think about Soubi and I've heard all of the lies that you've attempted to make everyone here believe. But I know the _truth_. He never did any of the things that you've been accusing him of doing."

For once in his life, Ritsuka knew that he just had to speak out...for Soubi. It was finally his turn to protect his fighter.

"Perhaps he has simply led you to believe that he hasn't done anything to you-"

"No. Soubi would never do anything like that, he would never hurt me." The boy replied.

"Well you acquired those injuries somehow. Who inflicted them?"

Ritsuka didn't know what to say. Soubi had never hurt him, but his mother was misunderstood, confused. He didn't want to say anything.

"Someone hurt you, who was it?" She persisted.

The judge looked down at the dark haired boy. "Please answer the question." He stated kindly.

Ritsuka opened his mouth, then closed it again.

_I'm sorry mother..._

"My mom." He whispered, though he hadn't meant to.

"I'm sorry Aoyagi-kun, I didn't catch that."

Tears came to his eyes. "My mom." He stated, louder this time.

Misaki glared, standing slowly. "How could you say that? How could you say that?!You're not my son!" She shouted.

Ritsuka closed his eyes and looked away, biting his bottom lip.

His mother continued to shout and the judge sent a guard to take her out of the courtroom.

Watanabe didn't know what to do, this case was going down the drain. "I have no further questions."

Ukai stood and walked up to the witness' stand. "Aoyagi-kun I know this is hard, do you think you're up to answering some more questions?"

The dark-haired boy nodded, taking a deep, shallow breath.

He had to do this for Soubi.

----

Soubi was surprised.

Ritsuka had incriminated his mother, something that he never thought the boy would do.

He could see the determination in his sacrifice's eyes when he opened them again and knew that there was no way he could lose. This was just another battle in which the weapons were words.

He had the utmost trust in Ritsuka.

----

"Aoyagi-kun, you said that everything that Agatsuma-san has been accused of has been lies. Would you mind explaining that?" The man questioned softly.

"Soubi protects me, h-he really cares about me. I can't believe anyone could think that he ever molested me."

"But did he kiss you?"

"Yes, but like he said, it was innocent. All of them were." It felt odd for him to say that, he didn't fully believe it himself. He wasn't lying though.

"And you've been to his apartment?"

"Yes."

"And he comes to your house?"

Ritsuka nodded and smiled a bit. "He usually comes when it's raining. I tell him not to, that he'll get sick without an umbrella, but he says that he needs to see me. He wants to make sure that I'm alright, but I had no idea that he knew about my mom...He really _has_ been protecting me for months now. " Tears filled his eyes once more, this time spilling down his cheeks.

He turned to the jury. "Please don't put Soubi in jail. I need him..." Ritsuka held back a sob.

_I love him..._

----

Soubi watched his young sacrifice and felt a tug at his heartstrings. Something- there was something good happening, something important...

"Ritsuka, I love you..." He whispered so quietly that he scarcely heard himself.

Ritsuka looked at him, violet orbs shimmering with clear tears. Though he was crying, the man saw a hint of joy in those eyes.

----

Ukai felt for the boy, he didn't think that he could continue.

"No further questions." He stated.

Ritsuka slowly stepped down from the stand, walking back to his seat.

----

Judge Nanto stood. "The jury will now deliberate. There will be a short recess."

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The recess wasn't as short as some had thought it would be. Ritsuka didn't care, he would wait days if that was what it took.

During the recess, many people, friends and strangers alike came up to him. Some gave their praise, saying that he did very well in such a situation, some said they hoped it turned out well, and one particularly odd woman said that he was going to go to hell for being homosexual and loving an older man...

Yuiko came up to him, crying. "Ritsuka-kun, Yuiko had no idea everything was so terrible for you. I hope that Soubi-san wins."

"So do I Yuiko." Ritsuka agreed, his own tears had stopped. He reached out and dried hers with his thumb. "Please stop crying Yuiko. I need you to be your usual, optimistic self right now."

The girl nodded. "Okay, if it's for Ritsuka-kun I'll try." She stated, going back to her seat.

The Zero boys came over with Kio and Natsuo hugged him. "That was great. If that jury convicts Soubi now, they're nuts." The burgundy-haired boy stated.

Kio grinned. "Yeah, I'll just have to make them change their minds if they do that." He stated, winking at Ritsuka.

The boy smiled. He really did have friends now...and Soubi was his closest one. There was no way that he could lose. Soubi was the strongest fighter out there...

End Flashback

Soubi took a deep breath and looked across the room at Ritsuka. Their eyes locked and hope shone in them, hope that the odds were in their favor.

Silence descended upon the packed courtroom when the judge banged his gavel and everyone looked up at him. He was a rather large man and, despite his gruff looks, he seemed rather compassionate.

Clearing his throat, he turned to the jury. "Have you reached a verdict?" He asked.

A female representative stood. "Yes we have, your honor. We find the defendant, Agatsuma Soubi...not guilty."

----

Ritsuka couldn't believe it. He smiled broadly and looked at his fighter, tears of joy falling down his cheeks.

Soubi smiled back at him.

_Ritsuka..._

--

The courtroom was in an uproar.

Many clapped, including the other fighter teams and friends who had come to cheer them on.

Kio stood, hopping over the small wall separating him from his friend. "Whoo! You did it Sou-chan!" He brought the other man into a crushing hug.

--

Ritsuka's father held his mother as she cried.

Watanabe slammed her fist on the table. She collected her papers and stuffed them into her briefcase, storming out of the courtroom.Youji and Natsuo watched her leave, laughing.

--

Ritsuka couldn't help it, he stood up and ran across the room to his fighter. Kio moved away and Soubi opened his arms, catching the boy.

"Soubi! I'm so happy..." He cried, burying his tear-stained face in the man's shirt.

Soubi laughed. "So am I." He replied, leaning down so that his mouth was next to his sacrifice's ear.

"I love you." He whispered.

--

Natsuo turned to Kio. "So, how 'bout that candy?" The man grinned and tussled his hair. "You kids are all right."

----------------------------

Several weeks later, Soubi and Ritsuka walked hand in hand up the stairs to the blond's apartment.

That whole trial ordeal had taught Soubi something: he just had to be more careful.

As soon as the door was closed, he took Ritsuka's chin in his hand and kissed him.

"Soubi!" The boy whined.

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**-The End-**

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So, I know it was somewhat short, but I hope you all liked it.

Leave lots of reviews.


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